The present invention relates to a novel powder composition containing an oily substance.
The physiological action of components contained in fish oil collected from fish such as bonito and sardines has attracted attention. For instance, ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and the like) are deemed to have potential in preventing adult diseases, through daily intake of these fatty acids. Therefore, with a view to utilizing the functionality of oily components such as highly unsaturated fatty acids, numerous compositions containing such acids have been developed in recent years.
In the field of drugs, foodstuffs and the like, for instance, there are widely used soft capsules directly filled with fish oil, using a coating film of gelatin or the like. However, a phenomenon (blocking) whereby soft capsules become adhered to each other is prone to occur as air temperature or humidity increases; moreover, contents exhibit browning and deterioration due to interactions between the contents and the coating film, giving rise to the problem of impaired storability.
Such being the case, a method has been proposed that involves supporting a functional substance, being an oily liquid or a low-melting point solid, onto a carrier made up of porous calcium silicate, to yield a powder that is then granulated, through addition of a water-soluble antioxidant and a granulation component, to produce as a result oily substance-containing granules having excellent stability (Patent document 1).
As a method for producing oily substance-containing tablets, other methods have been proposed in which the phenomenon of sticking during tableting is suppressed through the use of a solid preparation that is produced by thoroughly drying an adsorbent having an oily substance adsorbed thereon, followed by covering the dry adsorbent with an appropriate coating base material such as a sugar (Patent document 2).
A further proposed method involves using a porous calcium silicate powder as an excipient, and allowing an oily substance, or a liquid substance or a low-melting point substance derived from natural products, to be adsorbed onto and supported on the porous calcium silicate, in a state where the foregoing substance is dissolved or dispersed in an organic solvent, and adding then a starch or sugar to the whole, with compression-molding and tableting of the formed granules, to suppress as a result the phenomenon of sticking during tableting and achieve good tablet hardness (Patent document 3).